Phillips thumb broken, roster move

X-rays on 2B Brandon Phillips revealed a fractured right thumb. He will rest for a couple of days and then see if he can play through it. He was wearing a splint on his thumb.

Phillips is trying to avoid the DL, especially after he missed the last three weeks of last season with a fractured right index finger.

“When I come back I will try my best to see if I can play with it,” Phillips said. “If I can’t, I will shut it down. I just told them to give me a chance to play with it first before they make a decision.”

As expected, Homer Bailey was optioned out this morning to Triple-A Louisville. The Reds didn’t need a fifth starter for a while. C/IF Wilkin Castillo was recalled from Louisville.

Bailey, who walked six and gave up six runs over 4 1/3 innings, took the news well.

“It’s not surprising. I had a feeling it was just for one start anyway,” he said.

Bailey was asked about his frequent shaking off of catcher Ramon Hernandez. They were out of sync last night throughout.

“Ramon has never caught me before, ever,” Bailey said. “That’s hard for him to be to put in that situation as well. For me if you have a catcher you’ve worked with in the past, there’s not really a whole lot of shaking.”

As for Castillo, his .207 average at Louisville doesn’t exactly scream for a promotion. However, he can be a third catcher and play shortstop, second base and third base. The Reds are strapped for depth.

“I can use him a lot of different ways,” Dusty Baker said. “With our need for bodies, he gives you a lot of players in one.”

And on top of everything else, 1B Joey Votto was scratched this morning from the lineup because he’s still feeling the effects from his inner ear infection. Votto could be available to pinch hit.

RHP Justin Lehr is back for his third-stint in the organization since 2008. Lehr was acquired from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will be assigned to Louisville.

The attempted conversion of former IF/OF Jerry Gil to a pitcher hasn’t been very smooth with his 1-6 record. But Gil has his best outing to date on Saturday for Class A Sarasota. He gave up two unearned runs over six innings with three walks, a hit batter and three strikeouts.

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